1. Field of the Disclosure
The disclosed subject matter is in the field of information networks and, more specifically, information networks suitable for delivering television services.
2. Description of the Related Art
As an increasingly large volume of multimedia content becomes available through services such as movies on demand, it becomes increasing difficult for customers to locate and access the content that they want. In primary technique for accessing entertainment content in digital cable systems, satellite systems, or devices such as Windows Media Center or personal video recorders, such as TIVO®, includes manipulating an onscreen graphical user interface using a handheld infrared or radio frequency (RF) remote control device.
These remote control interfaces confine the user to a very limited domain for interacting with the system. To find content, a user clicks through hierarchical menus or has to spell out titles or other search terms using an onscreen keyboard or, in some cases, using triple-tap input on the remote control. These interfaces are cumbersome and, as the amount of content increases, the limitations of such interfaces will become still more readily apparent as users will have to scroll through longer and longer lists of options to locate content. Users may never find the desired content even when it is available.